Mirian Gom 
NASARAWA, Nigeria – The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA) has blamed delays in responding to emergencies across the state on a shortage of specialised personnel and the absence of key technical units within the agency.
Director-General of NASEMA, Benjamin Akwash, disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia when the agency appeared before the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts to present its second-quarter 2026 budget performance.
Akwash said the absence of specialised personnel and professional units, particularly Relief and Rehabilitation, Medical and Technical units, was hampering the agency’s ability to respond effectively to emergencies.
The Director-General called on the House committee to intervene in addressing the agency’s staffing and technical challenges to improve emergency response and service delivery.
He pledged to engage the relevant authorities to improve emergency response management in the state.
Akwash also commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for prioritising the activities of the emergency management agency.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Solomon Akwashiki, commended the NASEMA leadership for introducing innovations in disaster management.
He also praised the agency’s performance and urged it to sustain the progress recorded.
Akwashiki said the committee’s oversight exercise was aimed at assessing the agency’s budget performance for the second quarter of 2026.
He assured NASEMA of the Assembly’s support in addressing its challenges.
“We will continue to support and collaborate with you in order to address your challenges for effective service delivery,” he assured.
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